Characteristics and prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the characteristics and prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. Methods A retrospective case–control study was performed in 654 PCOS patients (101 were in adolescence, 553 were adults) and 120 healthy controls (40 were in adolescence, 80 were adults). Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), insulin releasing test (IRT), and other biochemical testing were underwent in all patients and controls. The characteristics and prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism were analyzed and compared. Results The prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism, including impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and diabetes mellitus (DM), was 24.5% in PCOS patients, which was significantly higher than that in the controls(χ2=27.11, P<0.0001). The prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism in adolescent PCOS patients was lower than that in adult PCOS patients (12.9% and 26.6%, respectively; χ2=8.688, P=0.003), but higher than that in age–matched adolescent controls (12.9% and 0%, respectively; χ2=5.671, P=0.02). IGT was the most common manifestation of abnormal glucose metabolism in PCOS patients (62.5%), followed by IFG (43.8%) and DM (8.1%). In PCOS patients, 13 patients were diagnosed with DM, however, 9 of them (69.2%) were exposed by OGTT screening. In PCOS patients, the prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism increased with body mass index(BMI) (χ2=53.71, P<0.0001). Conclusions PCOS patients are at a higher risk of abnormal glucose metabolism, and IGT may be the most common phenotype. It's recommended that all PCOS patients should be screened for abnormal glucose metabolism by using 2–h OGTT. Key words: Polycystic ovary syndrome; Impaired glucose tolerance; Diabetes mellitus